Safflower

Water

Rain falls about 6 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.

Needs about 420 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 40 mm it can use in a normal year (10 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 100 mm from the monsoon at sowing.

Temperature

Grows best at 20–32 °C on average, and survives 5–45 °C.

Here, in its growing months (day / night):

• Oct 31 °C / 20 °C
• Nov 30 °C / 17 °C
• Dec 29 °C / 15 °C
• Jan 30 °C / 15 °C
• Feb 33 °C / 18 °C

Soil

Soil for Safflower: 7 out of 10 (okay).

• The pH here suits it.
• Many fields here are short of sulphur, which it needs a lot.
• Many fields here are short of boron, which it needs a lot.
• Most fields here are short of nitrogen.

Likes pH 6.5–7.5.

Money

Yield: about 5.0 quintals an acre here in this season (district figures).

Mandi price at last season's harvest (March 2026): about ₹5,327 a quintal across mandis in your state.

This week: about ₹6,080 a quintal, the middle of 12 mandis across India (latest 12 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹15,000 a season after typical costs.

Minimum support price: ₹7,215 a quintal (2027-28), if you sell to government procurement.

Prices swing a lot from year to year, so income can be well above or below this range.

Prices are usually best in January.

Typical costs are about ₹15,000 an acre (seed, fertiliser, labour and hired machines, from the government's cost survey). They are spent whatever the harvest.